Irvine Housing Blog

Closed Sales from 1/12/2012 to 1/18/2012

Here are the closed sales in Irvine over the last week (1/12/2012 - 1/18/2012).  See anything interesting?  Did you visit any of these homes?

43 Copper Creek and 27 Vernal Springs are actually in Shady Canyon. For such a difference in size, it is interesting that the price is so similar. Any ideas why that may be the case?

The house on Doheny seems to be a low price for a detached SFR (that what it seems to be to me). The listing shows that it definitely needed some work. It is on a 6,000 square foot lot though.  

Buy or rent at Monticello in Northpark Square

28 Taquitz is a 3bd/3ba 1,826 sq. ft. attached condo in the Monticello tract in Northpark Square.  Monticello is located across from Beckman High and is bounded by Bryan, Rubicon, Rosenblum, and Montellena.  The streets inside Monticello are: Taquitz, Leucadia, Cosentino, Cabazon, and Idyllwild.

Monticella has 4 main floorplans:

Plan 1 - 2 Bed / 2 Bath 1211-1289 square feet
Plan 2 - 2 Bed / 2 Bath 1398 square feet
Plan 3 - 2 Bed / 2 Bath 1471-1663 square feet
Plan 4 - 3 Bed / 3 Bath 1826 square feet

28 Taquitz is a Plan 4 and is listed at $499,000

There is one other Plan 4 that is active and that is 27 Leucadia which is listed at $509,900.

And there is one Plan 4 that is Pending Sale: 9 Cabazon which is a short sale listed at $425,000.

Open House - 18711 Paseo Picasso in Turtle Rock

It’s difficult to critique a pre-owned house, because for so many years it wasn’t just a house, it was a home to a family. It’s almost like shell-shock reviewing an older house since up until now I’ve been focused on new developments. I often think well-loved properties have more charm and individuality and I’d say that I’m personally inclined to purchase an older residence, rather than a cookie cutter home. 18711 Paseo Picasso was an eye opener for me.

Here’s the 411 on 18711 Paseo Picasso:
Purchase price:   $675,000
Bedrooms:  3
Bathrooms:  1.75
Square footage:  1710 Sq. Ft.
$/Sq. Ft.:  $395
Property Type:  SFR
Year built:  1973
Community:  Turtle Rock

The HOA dues are $150 per month and there are no Mello Roos.

Brochure

A Review of the Maricopa Tract at Stonegate

Hello IHBers, I am Cubic Zirconia.
One day while researching on the house that we wanted to put an offer on, I stumbled upon IHB, and then religiously followed every post by Irvine Renter. It gave me a good insight on the market condition then, and what to expect in the near future. We moved to Irvine in 2008 from Pasadena, and I have two daughters who go to Irvine schools in Tustin Unified. I have a Masters Degree in Architecture, and worked full-time creating cookie cutter retail stores (Longs Drug Stores mostly) while funding the dream of the cookie cutter house. I write also, thanks to the economy, I write more and design less these days. Real Estate for me is more about the location and schools than the floor plan and the size of the backyard.

Maricopa Tract at Stonegate
Location: On Sand Canyon Ave., between Jeffery and Irvine Blvd. is the Village of Stonegate.
Builder: Irvine Pacific Homes by the The Irvine Company.

Village of Stonegate consists of attached and detached neighborhoods. Here are the five neighborhoods offered:
1. Santa Clara – 1129 to 1322 SF
2. Santa Maria – 1386 to 1614 SF
3. San Mateo – 1636 to 1804 SF
4. San Marcos – 1824 to 2011 SF
5. Maricopa – 2262 to 2974 SF

The elementary, middle and high schools are under IUSD, with all API rank 10 schools and API scores above 900. They offer three floor plans, and a choice of three different elevations for each plan. The community is not gated.

Exploring the Homes at Maricopa (Community Overview):

The Homes at Maricopa are housed in Stonegate, and feature the largest floor plans.
None of the houses back to major streets. They offer three floor plans, and three elevation choices to each plan. 

Pricing Sheet as of 1/6/12

Closed Sales from 1/5/2012 to 1/11/2012

Based on feedback from last week, it sounded like this was a helpful post so I'll continue.  The sales listed here are those that have closed in the 7 days between 1/5/2012 and 1/11/2012.

$800k in Turtle Rock vs. University Park

You’re ready to buy a house. You have $800,000 in your pocket (give or take), and you’re looking to purchase a place in either University Park or Turtle Rock in Irvine. Since the housing market took a dive, you figure $800K is going to get you into something decent. It’s a large chunk of change and a relatively big commitment, so you want to make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck. So what exactly will $800K get you in Turtle Rock? The answer is: not much. University Park however, comes with a less expensive price tag—around a couple hundred thousand dollars cheaper. So what’s the difference and can I get a Turtle Rock house on a University Park budget? Well, let’s take a look.

A review of the Santa Clara tract in the village of Stonegate

Located off of Irvine Blvd and Groveland, the Village of Stonegate (Stonegate Overview PDF) offers 5 housing tracts: Santa Clara, Santa Maria, San Mateo, San Marcos and Maricopa. Their tagline is “intimate yet connected” and I think that’s an accurate portrayal of the area. It seems to be nestled in its own corner but has close access to Woodbury Town Center, Orchard Hills Village Center and is about 15 minutes from the Irvine Spectrum. The housing development is walking distance to Stonegate Elementary School and not far from Sierra Vista Middle School and Northwood High School. Much like the rest of Irvine, the Village of Stonegate is marked by convenience.

Since Santa Clara (Santa Clara Community Overview PDF) is the smallest of the 5 tracts, it’s ideal for singles and couples. The Santa Clara floor plans are referred to as “flats” which in my opinion is a euphemism for small. However, after viewing the models I think “flats” is an appropriate description and they did a nice job working with the space. The smallest of the 3 floor plans (All floor plans available here) is Residence 1, which is 1,129 square feet. In retrospect it’s not a lot of space, but somehow it feels roomy. I think it can be attributed to the idea of the “great room” which is heavily prominent throughout all three residences. The great room gives you the freedom to define your living space. I can appreciate the benefit of unrestricted design, and I think it’s a selling point.